Andrea and Philip in Cayman Islands

When a hurricane hit the Cayman Islands five months before Andrea and Philip's April wedding and nearly destroyed their initial venue, the couple was nervous about what that would mean for their big day. But with the help of their island-based wedding planner, Joanne Brown of Celebrations Ltd., they quickly chose a new location—the Westin Casuarina Resort & Spa—and had the elegant Caribbean-theme wedding they always dreamed about.

The beach-loving Virgina-based couple chose a destination wedding that would allow their 100 guests—many of whom traveled from Australia and Scotland—to incorporate a vacation into their travels. Pale yellow and sage dominated the nuptials, and sea-inspired details—including menu cards decorated with tiny starfish, seashell boutonnieres and a surf and turf menu featuring lobster and filet mignon—set the sophisticated island tone.

Andrea chose this Angel Sanchez dress because she felt the rippled edges of the dress panels mirrored the ocean waves and the overall theme of the wedding. "It felt very flowy," she explains. Her bridesmaids wore coordinating celery-colored dresses by Charsa.

The groom and groomsmen wore tan custom-made Brooks Brothers suits and posed for photos by the Westin’s pool prior to the ceremony. Many guests, including some groomsmen, did not stay at the wedding site, so the Andrea and Philip arranged transportation to caravan the wedding party and guests on the big day.

The invitations, which featured a starfish decorated with tiny pearls, perfectly set the elegant Caribbean theme, says Andrea, who searched widely until finding a Virginia-based company, Simply Unique Invitations, which provided the sophisticated details she envisioned.

Andrea cut out magazine photos of bouquets she admired and told her wedding planner, Joanne Brown of Celebrations Ltd., who was also her florist, to simply surprise her with it. She was thrilled with the result. The bridesmaids' bouquets (shown here) featured pale yellow and cream roses.

The couple designated two bridesmaids to hand out fans, which also served as wedding favors for guests as they sat for the outdoor ceremony, where the temperature hovered around 90 degrees. The bridesmaids also distributed wedding programs.

The satin pull-back on the wedding arch, one of Andrea's favorite details of the wedding, added another elegant touch and also served a practical purpose: It prevented the tulle and satin material on the archway, built especially for the day, from flapping too much in the wind.

The starfish menu cards, designed by Heart Paper Soul Weddings, continued the elegant Caribbean theme and alerted guests to the dinner, which included a mango-and-papaya salad and a main course featuring grilled filet mignon and Caribbean lobster tail.

The couple sat at a sweetheart table in the center of the ballroom. Each of the tables' centerpieces featured pale yellow and sage roses surrounded by small candles, which they chose to allow people to look across the table and talk without obstruction.